Bootmaker to King George V | Bespoke Riding Boots At The Original John Lobb London

[@professorpelotard7925]

It is so refreshing to hear from someone who is obviously an artisan and craftsman rather than sa slick marketeer. Too rare these days. His love for the craft clearly shines through!

[@kirbyallison]

The Lobb brothers, Jonathan and William, are still very much involved in the craft at John Lobb. On any given day, you will likely find one if not both quietly working away at their craft downstairs in the workshop.

[@richardrubert1359]

I have three pairs of Lobbs, over 30 years old and still magnificent. Thank you for the interview.

[@kirbyallison]

Amazing! Sounds like they were a great investment!

[@tonywaters737]

What a charming Gentleman is Mr Lobb. So humble and unpretentious.

[@kirbyallison]

Indeed!

[@teddyarcher3957]

I like what Kirby is doing, meeting and talking to the finest tailors, artists and purveyors of the some of the wares available. People who have a passion for what they do, crafting items of quality and beauty. Taking time to appreciate the finer things in life. Something very often lost in our world of fast, cheap and disposable consumption.

[@AE1P]

Love these in-depth docs. Super informative and just mesmerizing to watch such skilled craftspeople, and listen to them talk about their work.

[@kirbyallison]

Glad you like them!

[@russ9921]

@@kirbyallison even if they are grossly overpriced.

[@dewianjani8021]

I wish this art of traditional shoe making would last.

[@mikewinston8709]

Mr Lobb…a modest man.

[@bentoucourt]

Ridding boots look perfect !

[@MichaelWatts]

Superb insights into an extraordinary centre of excellence. Thank you Kirby

[@kirbyallison]

Glad you enjoyed it Michael!

[@ARlELATOM]

The quality of your videos just gets better and better, these will be fantastic history records in years to come.

[@kirbyallison]

That is very kind of you to say Loz

[@CyrilDash]

That hessian boot is incredibly elegant, much more so than anything we get to wear today. If anyone has the the time/money/courage/influence to bring them back, they absolutely should!

[@allanh5618]

I love the technical details.

[@professorpelotard7925]

Another fabolous video! Kirby going from strength to strenght. Lobb is without doubt the shoemaker of choice. If only funds permitted... And please don't get them confused with "the other" Lobb (owned by Hermés). Great work Kirby, very informative.

[@kirbyallison]

Well said! Yes, unfortunately, the price point can be quite prohibitive... but they play such an important role as the standard bearer in bespoke shoemaking. They have trained, or people they trained have trained, so many of today's bespoke shoemakers.

[@josephkimogele3484]

Met him today, he is a true artist

[@Sams911]

proud owner of a pair of suede Chelsea John Lobb boots.... a life time item.

[@gus.a7965]

Thank you Kirby for this amazing interview.

[@CokeWithIceAndLemon]

“Gotta be fun to measure” haha Kirby

[@teakcore5261]

The heel style that John Lobb uses is very nice, tall and sculpted.

[@lcurry3836]

Great vlog Mr Allison, very insightful

[@kirbyallison]

Much appreciated!

[@rovercoupe7104]

Mr Allison deserves an OBE for promoting UK arts. M.

[@kirbyallison]

Here here! Couldn’t agree more!

[@a.s.j.g6229]

Someone should nominate him

[@lahaza6515]

"Waiting for someone to order it?" Here I am!!

[@charlo90952]

he said darby instead of derby. very good.

[@hiteshahir2671]

What a tour of historical masterpieces. Amazing craftsmanship. Mr Lobb is really fantastic indeed but his father or grandfather would have said much more about those old boots.

[@kirbyallison]

They are indeed historical masterpieces!

[@davidpielykh3996]

Thanks Kirby, very informative video

[@arnaudkm5898]

Dear Kirby, It’s a pleasure to watch your new episodes in particular seeing you back to London. I strongly appreciated ankle boots about which I had many models: Jodhpur and Chelsea, lace boots (derbies and oxfords base) and long boots for horse riding and countryside activities. So your reportage in this temple of the boots handmaking is highly appreciated, especially considering how rare it is. By the way, do you consider to visit John Lobb Paris’s atelier? Or it’s now a tricky situation especially due the recent lawsuit issued by John Lobb to the Hermès Group. But I have in memory your nice videos about JLP Ready-to-wear shoes. Anyway, your reportage nourishes an interrogation about the origins of one exceptionally nowadays shown boots due to historical considerations. William Lobb was not sure about the "German" origins of such boots. And I also have a doubt about it. Maybe you or any people here have or access to more precise and non-controversial information about it. Thank you in advance. Indeed Boots, the upper of which had folds on the instep, you showed, are a type of military riding boots were knee high and cut on a V at the front, and made from polished soft leather, often decorated with ornamental tassels, and also have a slight heel and a semi pointed toe. Thus, among the different types of military boots are these stylish boots worn by the light cavalry (especially the hussars, and “chasseurs à cheval”, which were another French specialty branch originated in 1743) in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, these boots are broadly called “hussar boots” or “Hungarian-style boots”. The etymology is interesting because conversely it seems that the terminology “Hessian Boots”, were used mainly in English by British Army, on the contrary to and other term revealing any Hungarian origins. However, a hussar, of which the term is Hungarian and itself derives from the cavalry of late medieval Hungary, under the king Matthias Corvinus, who created it with mainly Serb warriors in 1485 against the Ottoman Empire, became then more broadly a member of a class of light cavalry, originating and developed in Central Europe (Croatia, Poland, Romania, Serbia) during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European armies in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. These armies completely adopted the hussar uniform and attires developed in Hungary and Poland (the “dolman/ Attila” with Austrian knots, the “pelisse”, the “shako” or the “kolpack” (surely itself originated from Ottoman army), the “Hungarian pants”, …) with very few particularities and adaptations, knowing that the first adopter of the Hungarian knee high boots was the Polish Army itself, which were followed by the other armies. In brief, their tactics and equipment were copied throughout Europe from the early 17th century because these armies recruited Hungarian-Polish mercenaries and also developed such branch with their own nationals. In particular, Bavaria was the first to adopt one hussar regiment in 1688, followed by France, which established a number of hussar regiments from 1692 onward, recruiting originally from Hungary and Germany, which played a prominent role as cavalry in the Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802) and Napoleonic Wars (1803-15). The armies of France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia included hussar regiments on the mid-18th century. But consequently and lately Britain decided to convert four light dragoon regiments to hussars in 1806-1807. Since, the Hungarian reference seems to be diminished even vanished because that this kind of boots lately adopted by British army is alternatively called “Hessian boots”, about which it was alleged to be originated in the German state of Hess in the 18th century, and were initially worn by German soldiers and were the boot of choice for high ranking military officials. Hessian boots took their name from the German state of Hesse, where they were made. Hessians or the soldiers from Hess were mercenaries and commonly fought under the British flag including in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It seems that after the creation of the hussars regiments by the British Empire that these “Hessian” boots trickled into the civil English footwear fashion scene during the Regency period. They became popular among high society men in England as well. But knowing that anterior historical element located in Hungary, I wonder if there is an initial confusion and the origins of such boots were falsely attributed to Hesse by the British Army, which itself adopted lately the hussars’ branch and their attires. Or can it be considered that the Hungarian hussars adopted such boots “made in Hesse”, and the only Hungarian origins remained to mind in the French army? Or is it another example of multi origins combination or a loop? Thank you. Enjoy your stay in London.

[@kirbyallison]

Thank you for your length reply! And for the additional history on the Hesse boots! We would love to visit John Lobb Paris' workshop if they were to invite us. Can be tricky working with them sometimes since they are owned by Hermes. Everything is much more tightly controlled than with the smaller, independent artisans with whom we normally work. One of these days we are going to film an extensive series on bootmaking. It is a topic of particular interest to me and is at risk of totally disappearing from the repertoire of shoemaking.

[@niallmurray9725]

Great watch as always 👍. Makes me think, perhaps they’ve missed a trick (though no doubt not with their history) by making bespoke motorcycle boots 🤔… if only I had the cash I’d be first In line!

[@ShoeShineMex]

amazing videos as always!! Bravo

[@kirbyallison]

Glad you like them!

[@RobertReynolds-mg9bb]

Those brown wellington boots are the nicest boots ive ever seen...

[@sunhuizart3821]

Hey Kirby I can't remember if I asked this before but What do you think of paintings? You love all manner of quality crafstman works with long history and tradition such as shoes, suits, cigars. But what about paintings? I feel like it's something largely forgotten in the 21st century. Back in the day the rich and important would commission works from master artists. Works like family portraits, Christian or Greco-Roman myths, or in the case of Alma-Tadema, themselves and their friends lounging about in a classical Greek landscape. Do you know of anyone who is a connoisseur of the traditional arts? Are there even any artists of that caliber even alive anymore?

[@karldelavigne8134]

A good reason to apply for equity release.

[@kirbyallison]

Indeed...?

[@righteousred723]

Kirby--are you aware of any bespoke shoe makers who have worked with auto racers in the past? Ayrton Senna was wearing loafers in a video I saw recently, and it got me thinking about it

[@kirbyallison]

I am not... but would be a very interesting question!

[@johncas1]

Are you having some boots made I highly recommend chelsea boots great with casual suits and great in the winter and in fashion this winter

[@kirbyallison]

Boy, I wish! The day I have a pair of Lobb shoes made... will be a day worth celebrating with a proper cigar and drink at the club!

[@philiplee7604]

@@kirbyallison I’m very surprised, that John Lobb didn’t offer to make you a pair of boots ! You are providing free international exposure and promotion to his renowned brand and I have no doubt, that promotion, will result in new business for Lobb. Just personally, I think it would have been thoughtful and justified for John to have done that for you.

[@MauricXe]

24:55 that looks awesome 25:50 you could hurt someone with those haha. i like em

[@dominicndungumungai8074]

I want to see you review g&g deco Holden in chestnut.

[@Hsi16000]

I have 2 pairs and the last is best always

[@kirbyallison]

Each additional pair is always better than the previous. And you are really just getting started with bespoke shoemaking at about the second pair. The last development is a process that requires shoes to be made and well-worn. By the second and third pairs, additional adjustments are being incorporated into the last that can really take a pair of bespoke shoes to the next level!

[@grisom5863]

You know you don't really see men these days wear that style of boot these days. The only real exception would be men in certain military or policing units or if they're equestrian riders/horse jockeys.

[@Bubble23428]

Or hunters

[@grisom5863]

@@Bubble23428 Hunters? I don't see hunters wear THIS style. Is there still some type of english style fox hunting I don't know about?

[@jamesroberts9825]

Let the Bootmaker talk! :( 😆

[@constantijncheretis375]

Yeah Kirby really likes to hear himself talk

[@adeadcrab]

whose my mate whose my fucking mate

[@smalltown4855]

one simply must boil ones pea pockets before listing the June bug.

[@johnnunn8688]

Whoever had that first riding boot, had zero calf muscles!

[@biswajitbhattavharjya2115]

Later.

[@rahulprasad2318]

Why are you viewbotting? U have 250k subs, 25k views, 500 likes and 50 comments